“A History, of the Persecution, of the
Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” December
1839–October 1840

Times
and Seasons, Feb. 1840, 1:49–51. This
is the third installment of the series. The first three installments were based
on a manuscript in the hand of
Edward
Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

A HISTORY, OF THE
PERSECUTION, OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
IN MISSOURI

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

, was disposed to bring the mobbers to justice;
consequently, ten or twelve, witnesses were subpoened to attend the
February term of the circuit court
Capt. David
R. Atchison

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

The
Missouri
attorney general was Robert W. Wells; the circuit attorney
was Amos
Rees. This criminal investigation was to be undertaken by a grand jury
empaneled in
Jackson County. (“Mormon Difficulties,” Missouri
Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser [Columbia], 8 Mar. 1834,
[1].)

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

, accompanied by the attorney General.
They informed the witnesses, that such was the excitement prevailing
there; that it was doubtful whether any thing could be done to bring
the mobbers to justice; that if any should be convicted, they would
only be fined in some trifling sum, not to exceed $5, at most, just
enough to answer the law.78

And they advised the witnesses not
to go before the grand jury, intimating at the same time, that they
might be in danger.— The witnesses replied, that they had been
ordered there by the court, and they supposed, that they were still
subject to the court, or to them, the attornies. As to the danger, in
going before the grand jury they feared it not: they were ready and
willing to go and testify to the truth. The attornies left them, and
in a short time after, they were informed by
Capt. Atchison

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

, had sent
him word, that the witnesses and guard, were not wanted there any
longer;
Capt. A.

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

paraded his men, as soon, and as
well as he could for the crowd, and immediately marched off, the
witnesses following him.79

William W. Phelps reported that the Latter-day
Saint witnesses learned from
Amos
Rees and Robert W. Wells “that all hopes of
criminal prosecution, was at an end,” after which
Atchison and his men, who had been ordered by
Ryland to return to
Liberty, escorted
the Mormons back to
Clay
County. The Missouri Intelligencer reported that Ryland,
Rees, and Wells found “it was entirely unnecessarry to investigate this subject
on the part of the
State, as
the jury were equally concerned in the outrages committed it was therefore not
likely that any bills would be found.” (“The Outrage in Jackson County, Missouri,”
The Evening and the Morning Star, Mar. 1834, 139; italics in
original; “Mormon
Difficulties,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser
[Columbia], 8 Mar. 1834, [1].)

All hopes were now given up of
ever bringing that people to justice; their hatred towards the
saints, appeared to be unabating; they frequently sent over word to
Clay
co.

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

that they were coming over to drive them from that place; they
even went so far, as to circulate a paper in
Clay
county

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

, the object of which was to obtain volunteers there, to
assist them in driving the saints away.— In
Clay
county

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

19 May 1800–8 Aug. 1884. Farmer. Born in Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Married Amanda M. F. Martin, 24 May 1822, in Jessamine Co., Kentucky. Moved to Clay Co., Missouri, by 1830. Befriended and employed many Latter-day Saints after they were expelled ...

The
Partridgemanuscript
does not name the farmer.
Arthur was described in the church newspaper as “a
respectable and wealthy planter of
Clay
county.” (“The Outrage
in Jackson County, Missouri,” The Evening and the Morning Star,
May 1834, 159.)

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

, who was then friendly to the saints, and who was in the
habit of sending flour and whiskey into
Jackson

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

, who mounted the load, and with
axes cut the barrels to pieces, and wasted the flour and whisky upon
the ground.

In 1834, if
we mistake not, an inoffensive Br. by the name of Ira J.
Willes went into
Jackson co.

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

to hunt for a lost cow; he
was taken by some of the ruffians residing there, who, after
stripping off his clothes, whipped him unmercifully. For the credit
of Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

, we would state that he was taken from
the house of a Justice of the Peace; this is an ensample of upper
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

to see a man who owed him; on
his way he was discovered, and overtaken by some of that lawless
banditti, who beat him with handspikes, no doubt with an intent to
kill, for that was what they swore they would do; but his life was
preserved, and he escaped out of their hands.84

“For that was what they
swore they would do” does not appear in the
Partridgemanuscript.
Abbott later testified that his assailants “nocked me
dow[n] and beat me as they supposed near unto death.” (Lewis Abbott, Statement, Adams Co., IL, 25 June
1839, photocopy, Material Relating to Mormon Expulsion from Missouri,
1839–1843, CHL.)

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

Times
and Seasons, Feb. 1840, 1:49–51. This
is the third installment of the series. The first three installments were based
on a manuscript in the hand of
Edward
Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

A HISTORY, OF THE
PERSECUTION, OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
IN MISSOURI

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

, was disposed to bring the mobbers to justice;
consequently, ten or twelve, witnesses were subpoened to attend the
February term of the circuit court
Capt. [David
R.] Atchison

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

The
Missouri
attorney general was Robert W. Wells; the circuit attorney
was Amos
Rees. This criminal investigation was to be undertaken by a grand jury
empaneled in
Jackson County. (“Mormon Difficulties,” Missouri
Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser [Columbia], 8 Mar. 1834,
[1].)

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

, accompanied by the attorney General.
They informed the witnesses, that such was the excitement prevailing
there; that it was doubtful whether any thing could be done to bring
the mobbers to justice; that if any should be convicted, they would
only be fined in some trifling sum, not to exceed $5, at most, just
enough to answer the law.78

And they advised the witnesses not
to go before the grand jury, intimating at the same time, that they
might be in danger.— The witnesses replied, that they had been
ordered there by the court, and they supposed, that they were still
subject to the court, or to them, the attornies. As to the danger, in
going before the grand jury they feared it not: they were ready and
willing to go and testify to the truth. The attornies left them, and
in a short time after, they were informed by
Capt. Atchison

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

, had sent
him word, that the witnesses and guard, were not wanted there any
longer;
Capt. A.

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

paraded his men, as soon, and as
well as he could for the crowd, and immediately marched off, the
witnesses following him.79

William W. Phelps reported that the Latter-day
Saint witnesses learned from
Amos
Rees and Robert W. Wells “that all hopes of
criminal prosecution, was at an end,” after which
Atchison and his men, who had been ordered by
Ryland to return to
Liberty, escorted
the Mormons back to
Clay
County. The Missouri Intelligencer reported that Ryland,
Rees, and Wells found “it was entirely unnecessarry to investigate this subject
on the part of the
State, as
the jury were equally concerned in the outrages committed it was therefore not
likely that any bills would be found.” (“The Outrage in Jackson County, Missouri,”
The Evening and the Morning Star, Mar. 1834, 139; italics in
original; “Mormon
Difficulties,” Missouri Intelligencer and Boon’s Lick Advertiser
[Columbia], 8 Mar. 1834, [1].)

All hopes were now given up of
ever bringing that people to justice; their hatred towards the
saints, appeared to be unabating; they frequently sent over word to
Clay
co.

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

that they were coming over to drive them from that place; they
even went so far, as to circulate a paper in
Clay
county

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

, the object of which was to obtain volunteers there, to
assist them in driving the saints away.— In
Clay
county

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

19 May 1800–8 Aug. 1884. Farmer. Born in Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Married Amanda M. F. Martin, 24 May 1822, in Jessamine Co., Kentucky. Moved to Clay Co., Missouri, by 1830. Befriended and employed many Latter-day Saints after they were expelled ...

The
Partridgemanuscript
does not name the farmer.
Arthur was described in the church newspaper as “a
respectable and wealthy planter of
Clay
county.” (“The Outrage
in Jackson County, Missouri,” The Evening and the Morning Star,
May 1834, 159.)

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

, who was then friendly to the saints, and who was in the
habit of sending flour and whiskey into
Jackson

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

, who mounted the load, and with
axes cut the barrels to pieces, and wasted the flour and whisky upon
the ground.

In 1834, if
we mistake not, an inoffensive Br. by the name of Ira J.
Willes went into
Jackson co.

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

to hunt for a lost cow; he
was taken by some of the ruffians residing there, who, after
stripping off his clothes, whipped him unmercifully. For the credit
of Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

, we would state that he was taken from
the house of a Justice of the Peace; this is an ensample of upper
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

to see a man who owed him; on
his way he was discovered, and overtaken by some of that lawless
banditti, who beat him with handspikes, no doubt with an intent to
kill, for that was what they swore they would do; but his life was
preserved, and he escaped out of their hands.84

“For that was what they
swore they would do” does not appear in the
Partridgemanuscript.
Abbott later testified that his assailants “nocked me
dow[n] and beat me as they supposed near unto death.” (Lewis Abbott, Statement, Adams Co., IL, 25 June
1839, photocopy, Material Relating to Mormon Expulsion from Missouri,
1839–1843, CHL.)

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

Located in western Missouri, thirteen miles north of Independence. Settled 1820. Clay Co. seat, 1822. Incorporated as town, May 1829. Following expulsion from Jackson Co., 1833, many Latter-day Saints found refuge in Clay Co., with church leaders and other...

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

in particular,” in which
he called for the Saints to gather up “a knoledge of all the facts and
sufferings and abuses put upon them” in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

that they might publish the records “to all the world” and “present them to the
heads of the government.”1

JS et al., Liberty, MO, to
the church members and Edward Partridge, Quincy, IL, 20 Mar. 1839, in
Revelations Collection, CHL [D&C 123:1, 6]. An edited and slightly
shortened version of the letter was published in two parts in the Times
and Seasons, May and
July 1840. The instruction to record the
Saints’ Missouri history was part of the July installment. (“Copy of a Letter, Written by J.
Smith Jr. and Others, While in Prison,” Times and Seasons, May
1840, 1:99–104; “An
Extract of a Letter Written to Bishop Partridge, and the Saints in General,”
Times and Seasons, July 1840, 1:131–134.)

Apparently in response to this assignment, Edward Partridge wrote a history
that became the first three installments of “A History, of the Persecution, of
the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in Missouri,” an eleven-part
series published in the church’s
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

newspaper, Times and Seasons, between
December 1839 and October
1840. This series gave the first extended account of the Missouri period
to be printed in the Latter-day Saint press. The editors of the Times
and Seasons,Ebenezer Robinson

25 May 1816–11 Mar. 1891. Printer, editor, publisher. Born at Floyd (near Rome), Oneida Co., New York. Son of Nathan Robinson and Mary Brown. Moved to Utica, Oneida Co., ca. 1831, and learned printing trade at Utica Observer. Moved to Ravenna, Portage Co....

, announced in its first issue that the newspaper would
“commence publishing the history of the disturbances in Missouri, in regular
series,”2

“A Word to the Saints,” Times and
Seasons, July 1839, 1:12. After the first copies of the first
number were printed in July, publication of the
Times and Seasons halted for several months because both editors
fell ill amidst a malaria outbreak in the
Commerce, Illinois,
area. The first number was reissued under the date November 1839.

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

conflicts in the early 1830s.
Partridge was a bishop of the church in Missouri, first in
Jackson County

Settled at Fort Osage, 1808. County created, 16 Feb. 1825; organized 1826. Named after U.S. president Andrew Jackson. Featured fertile lands along Missouri River and was Santa Fe Trail departure point, which attracted immigrants to area. Area of county reduced...

Settled ca. 1800. Organized from Ray Co., 1822. Original size diminished when land was taken to create several surrounding counties. Liberty designated county seat, 1822. Population in 1830 about 5,000; in 1836 about 8,500; and in 1840 about 8,300. Refuge...

following the Latter-day Saints’ expulsion from Jackson, and
finally in
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

after the Saints relocated
from Clay. By the time he wrote this account of the Mormons’ experiences in
Missouri, the Saints had been exiled from the state and had relocated to
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

Located on high limestone bluffs east of Mississippi River, about forty-five miles south of Nauvoo. Settled 1821. Adams Co. seat, 1825. Incorporated as town, 1834. Received city charter, 1840. Population in 1835 about 800; in 1840 about 2,300; and in 1845...

Located near middle of western boundary of state, bordering Mississippi River. European Americans settled area, 1820s. From bank of river, several feet above high-water mark, ground described as nearly level for six or seven blocks before gradually sloping...

Partridge’s narrative is based on
firsthand observations and may also have relied on other records he kept. The
manuscript
version of the history begins, “In presenting to our readers a history of
the persecutions,” indicating that Partridge wrote it for publication
purposes.4

Partridge, History, manuscript, Edward Partridge,
Miscellaneous Papers, CHL. Significant differences between the first
three installments of “History, of the Persecution” and the
Partridge manuscript are described in footnotes
herein.

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

’s account, which ends in
1836 as the Saints were settling in what became
Caldwell County

Located in northwest Missouri. Settled by whites, by 1831. Described as being “one-third timber and two-thirds prairie” in 1836. Created specifically for Latter-day Saints by Missouri state legislature, 29 Dec. 1836, in attempt to solve “Mormon problem.” ...

. Perhaps prompted by Partridge’s illness, the editors sought
elsewhere for source materials to continue the series. In
April 1840, the
fifth installment
reprinted passages from
Parley P. Pratt

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

No manuscript is known to exist for
Pratt’s published pamphlet.
Rigdon is not named as the author on the title page of
Appeal to the American People, but he is credited as such in the
“History, of the Persecution” series and in advertisements for the pamphlet in
the Times and Seasons. A manuscript version of Rigdon’s
Appeal to the American People, titled “To the Publick” and inscribed by
George W. Robinson, is found in the JS Collection
at the Church History Library. Many textual differences exist between the
manuscript and Appeal to the American People, and the editors of
the Times and Seasons clearly used the published pamphlet, not
the manuscript, as their source. (“History,
of the Persecution,”
May 1840, 1:99;
Advertisement, Times
and Seasons, 1 Jan. 1841, 2:272.)

In
June the editors again excerpted Pratt’s
History of the Late Persecution, and in the three articles
published from July to September
they reprinted more of Rigdon’s work. The series
concluded in the
October 1840 issue with a reprint of the speech
that
John B. Clark

, a major general of the Missouri
state militia, made to the Latter-day Saints at
Far
West

Originally called Shoal Creek. Located fifty-five miles northeast of Independence. Surveyed 1823; first settled by whites, 1831. Site purchased, 8 Aug. 1836, before Caldwell Co. was organized for Latter-day Saints in Missouri. William W. Phelps and John Whitmer...

The “History, of the Persecution” is
representative of the many histories and individual petitions written at the
time to document the Saints’ experiences in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

12 Apr. 1807–13 May 1857. Farmer, editor, publisher, teacher, school administrator, legislator, explorer, author. Born at Burlington, Otsego Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Traveled west with brother William to acquire land, 1823....

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

’s Appeal to the American
People provide a useful sampling of two published histories of
the period and demonstrate that documenting these events was a widespread
effort.6

Earlier published accounts of
the
Jackson County conflicts from Latter-day
Saints include the broadside “The Mormons,” So Called, dated
12 December 1833, and its reprint in
The Evening and the
Morning Star, Extra, Feb. 1834, [1]–[2]; a series titled “The
Outrage in Jackson County, Missouri,” published in
The Evening and the
Morning Star, Dec. 1833–Mar. 1834 and May–June 1834;
John P. Greene’s pamphlet
Facts Relative to the
Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter Day Saints, from the State of Missouri,
under the “Exterminating Order” (Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839);
and John
Taylor’s eight-page work,
A Short Account of the
Murders, Roberies, Burnings, Thefts, and Other Outrages Committed by the Mob
and Militia of the State of Missouri, Upon the Latter Day Saints
(Springfield, IL: By the author, 1839).

Publication in the church’s
periodical lent credibility to the series and ensured that it was the source
from which many new Mormon converts learned the details of the church’s history
in Missouri. What they read was not the work of neutral historians detached
from the events described. When
Partridge

27 Aug. 1793–27 May 1840. Hatter. Born at Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Son of William Partridge and Jemima Bidwell. Moved to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio. Married Lydia Clisbee, 22 Aug. 1819, at Painesville. Initially a Universal Restorationist...

, Pratt, and Rigdon wrote their histories,
the persecutions and injustices against them were still fresh in their
memories. All three authors suffered personally during the Missouri hardships,
and as they and other Saints undertook to write about their experiences, their
primary focus was to fulfill
JS’s directive—to obtain redress by making known
the “nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this
people.”7

“A History, of the
Persecution, of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints in
Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

. The copy used for transcription is currently part of a
bound volume held at CHL; includes light marginalia and archival marking.

Each segment in the
eleven-part series begins on the first page of its respective number of the
Times and Seasons. Each issue comprises eight leaves (sixteen
pages) that measure 8⅝ x 5¼ inches (22 x 13 cm). The text on each page is set
in two columns. At some point, the editors of the Times and
Seasons reset and reprinted the December
1839 and January 1840 issues of the
Times and Seasons; based on textual analysis, the version used
for transcription appears to be the earlier typesetting of both.1